Page 35 of WASP

It took Max a moment to register the noise in the background of Annie’s call—the rumbling of traffic and slight persistent static. “Are you already in your car?” she asked, her smile pulling tight, the same way it had at the Christmas party.

“I might be,” Annie responded, and Max was certain she could hear Annie’s own perfect smile.

“You’re in luck. I do happen to be free.” She kicked off her shoes, leaving them under the stool as she moved quickly into her bedroom.

“Great. I’m going to stop and grab coffee and then I’ll head your way. What’s your order? Also, please send me your address.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Max teased gently, enjoying the way Annie’s Type A, confident personality had started slipping into their conversations more and more over the past few weeks. “I’m not a coffee drinker. Tea only for me. I like everything, so surprise me. Athleisure okay for today?” she asked, tucking her phone against her shoulder as she reached for her favorite black cropped puffer coat.

“Whatever you feel comfy in is perfect. And I’m honored to meet another non-coffee drinker. I always say going to get coffee because going to get tea sounds weird and then you have to explain to people that you don’t actually drink coffee, which they usually find odd and it’s this whole ordeal…kind of like this.” Annie laughed breezily at herself. That was another thing Max had noticed about her as they had gotten to know each other. For as serious as Annie could be, she wasn’t someone who took herself too seriously.

“I couldn’t agree with you more,” she said. “I’m excited to see what you get me. I’ll text you my address. See you soon.”

“Bye!”

The call ended, and Max stood there for a moment, excitement bubbling inside of her as she tried to remember the last time someone had had that effect on her.

Fifteen minutes later, Max was waving to Annie as she slowed her car to a stop to the end of the driveway in a sleek black sedan. She slid into the front seat and was greeted with a broad smile and an outstretched hand.

“For you.” Annie beamed, handing her a to-go cup, watching her intently.

“Thanks.” Max inhaled deeply, letting the warmth of the aromatic steam fill her nostrils. “Jasmine,” she said, stating it as a fact, taking another sniff. “And vanilla? And definitely some type of nut, so I’m going to guess almond milk.”

“You’re good. But I kind of figured you’d be, you know, with all the wine knowledge and whatnot. Feels like a transferable skill.”

Max smiled, sipping from the cup as she fastened her seatbelt, the liquid warming her from the inside out. “Where to?’ She looked at Annie, catching the way the light made her pupils contract.

Annie’s smile was wide and toothy as she responded. “Oh, a little place I know,” she said, putting the car in drive as they headed out.

After thirty-five minutes, they arrived at the parking lot of an old red sawmill situated on the bank of a creek. The building, long since operational for its intended use, had apparently been refurbished as an antique mall according to the sign hanging off the side.

“How on earth did you find this place?” Max asked, following Annie’s perky strawberry blond ponytail into the building, thankful to be out of the cold.

“I used to drive around a lot when I was a teenager. I liked the alone time.” She smiled softly, pausing for a moment. “I always like to walk the perimeter first, then the inner aisles, but I’m open to changing that up.”

“Perimeter first works for me,” Max answered, appreciating how cute Annie’s pragmatic and systematic approach to her shopping experience was.

They meandered their way through booth after booth of different vendors all selling assortments and collections of various vintage wares. They chatted here and there, pointing out items they found interesting to the other. Annie, she learned, loved furniture, chairs specifically. According to her, they just don’t make them like they used to. Max was surprised by Annie’s perceptiveness, especially how easily she picked up on Max’s preferences for nearly everything. By the fifth booth, she was pointing items out to her before Max even had the chance to express interest.

“Oh! This is neat.” Annie’s excited voice grabbed Max’s attention from the rack of vintage band T-shirts she had been looking at. She turned to see a metal and glass pitcher in the shape of a duck in her hands. “It’s a decanter,” Annie said as if it were obvious.

Max held out her hands, taking the item from Annie, enjoying the barest touch of their fingers. She inspected the pitcher closely. Now that she was examining it, the decanter was pretty cool and something she had never seen. She liked the uniqueness, and even more so that Annie had picked it out for her.

“Excellent find,” she said, holding on to the decanter as they continued to work their way through the mill.

They made their way to the second floor of the building, which consisted of several interconnected rooms with meandering narrow hallways and nonsensical turns. They laughed after the third time Annie led them in the wrong direction in search of the stairs as they attempted to make their way towards the check out counter, items in hand.

“I’m so glad you ended up being free today,” Annie said as they carefully made their way down creaking wooden steps.

“Me too. I was kind of surprised you weren’t working today. Did you take a mental health day?”

Annie went quiet as the mood in the space between them shifted slightly. Her voice was shy when she spoke, a stark contradiction to the confidence Max was growing accustomed to. “Not exactly.” She sighed. “I was only approved for remote work through the end of the year. I ended up handing in my resignation yesterday. I think I hit the career portion of my proverbial junk drawer exploration. Time to sort through it and see what’s left.” She smiled at the man behind the counter as she laid her items on the glass surface, looking back at Max with those deep blue eyes. “Add your stuff. This one’s on me.”

“You just told me you’re unemployed.”

“I have a good amount of savings. I promise. This is the retail therapy part of my healing timeline.”

Max rolled her eyes, uncomfortable with the idea of Annie covering this expense for her, but she had to trust that if Annie was offering, it meant she really wanted to do it.